Episode 4: Happy Families
by GothGirl1996
Summary: Possible Alternate plot for 09x14. Its been three years since the team last saw each other- everyone is happily married to their perfect matches and the families of the NCIS team are beginning to be established. KATE AND JENNY ALIVE! NO ZIVA.
1. Chapter 1

Episode 4- Happy Families

_Plot Outline: It's been three years since the team last saw each other. Abby and McGee are married and have a daughter, Rose. Kate never died and she and Tony married with two sons, Anthony Jr. and Jethro, Jimmy and Breena have a daughter and a son, Jasmine and James. Gibbs married Jenny who didn't die and Ducky remained the handsome and kind grandfather figure for the family. (A possible future alternate plot for 'Life Before his Eyes' –Season 9 episode 14)_

Gibbs stood, gun in hand, as a young man pulled the trigger on the weapon aimed directly at Gibbs' chest. Time seemed to stop and everything seemed to gain an iridescent sheen of white over its already extraordinary brightness. Mike Franks sat down in the seat beside the one Gibbs had just vacated.

"Probie, sit." He instructed, pulling Gibbs' seat out and patting the cushion.

"Mike? What's going on? What's happened?" Gibbs asked as the bullet hovering in the air, clattered to the floor with a soft and muffled thud.

"This, Probie is the time when you decide whether or not you want to live or die." Mike said simply, nursing a beer in his right hand which seconds before had been empty. Gibbs stared shocked. Of course he wanted to live, what sort of a question was that?

"Of course I want to live, Mike. Jenny's at home waiting for me," Mike lifted his eyebrows with a look similar to what Tony would have given him at this statement. "Don't say it."

"Wasn't gonna, Probie. Good for you." Was all Mike said and slapped Gibbs on the back. Gibbs rolled his eyes and sat beside Mike at the bar.

"What do I need to decide, Mike?" He asked.

"What there is to go back for… or what there is to leave behind." Mike explained. "I'm sorry, Probie, but from here you're on your own."

"Why, Mike? I need your help…" Gibbs turned to where Mike was meant to be sat, only to find he'd disappeared. He turned to Mike's lonely beer bottle, still half full, took a swig and settled down to contemplate his life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Three years ago, NCIS and Gibbs' team had disbanded because the NCIS headquarters had moved south, to New Orleans and the team hadn't wanted to move their lives away from Washington, D.C. Since then Gibbs had married ex-Director, Jenny Shepard and their metaphorical 'children' (the other members of Gibbs' team) had gone off and got married and had children of their own.

Even Jimmy, the autopsy gremlin or the dysfunctional cousin of the team, and his wife Breena had children; a beautiful set of twins called James and Jasmine. Tony and Kate (who had only been injured in Ari Haswari's attack) were married with two sons- Anthony Jr and Jethro. Abby and her beloved Timothy McGee too were married and had a beautiful, dark haired baby girl called Rosemarie Caitlin. This little angel was Gibbs' pride and joy. She looked like his favourite member of the team and had McGee's kind heart. Abby had been right when she had said that hugs must run in her family- Rose, as she was called, just adored hugs off everyone, just like her mother.

Ducky Mallard, everyone's favourite ME and Gibbs' lifelong friend, had remained on his own and had quite happily adopted himself into the grandfather figure to all of the children. Even though the older ones like James, Jasmine and Anthony called him 'Uncle Ducky'. Little Rose had not yet begun to speak but she gurgled at Ducky most of the time and giggled when he pulled funny faces and told her old Scottish sayings. Unlike when her 'uncle Tony' pulled funny faces at her and she screamed in fear. This always made McGee laugh, perhaps that's why was glad that hopefully, when Rose grew up, she would avoid anyone like Tony like the plague. Which unfortunately, was a very unfunny pun, considering Tony had actually suffered with a genetically modified strand of bubonic plague when they had first started working together at NCIS.

To Gibbs these were reasons to live. His family, however dysfunctional. He had yet to meet Rose and he and Jenny had arranged to meet up with the team for lunch after Gibbs' morning run. It was at his pit-stop- an old cable car which had been turned into a diner- that he found himself face to face with a gunman and it was there, in its original state, Gibbs now had to make the decision to live and see his family or die and see his enemies and lost loved ones again like Mike Franks, his mother Anne, his first wife Shannon and their daughter Kelly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I don't want to die, I want my family." Gibbs thought, quietly, aloud and squeezed his trigger, injuring the gunman and in return receiving a bullet to the shoulder, but he was alive. He was where he wanted to be. Jenny walked in at that moment and stared at her husband and the injured gunman. She shook her head and helped Gibbs up as a plain clothed cop helped the struggling gunman into cuffs whilst his partner took the gun and disarmed it. He nodded at Gibbs who nodded back and grasped his shoulder before letting Jenny take him outside.

"I want my family, Jen. Our family before any doctors." Gibbs said.

"I know. But we have a doctor in our family… Does he count?" She asked cheerfully.

"Nah, still family."

"Good… because they're here." She said pointing to a large group of people who smiled at them and waved. Gibbs smiled back. There were the faces he loved most. This is where we wanted to be for a long time to come.

He could hear Mike's voice inside his head. "Good choice, Probie. Family always wins." Gibbs smiled to himself as he walked painfully to his family. Mike was right, as always.

You're family too, Mike. Never forgotten and always loved. Gibbs thought with a smile and he could have sworn he heard Mike laughing.

"Rule 44 – Women and children first, Probie." Mike laughed and Gibbs smiled in agreement.

The End.


End file.
